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A storefront for robots: The SEO arms race has left Google and the web drowning in garbage text, with customers and businesses flailing to find each other. (www.theverge.com)
submitted 3 years ago by [M] to c/technology@beehaw.org
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[–] 26 points 3 years ago (6 children)

Let's not forget bot/AI generated websites that just copy paste some irrelevant content template but fits your search terms, and then feeds you tons of ads when you thought you found answers to your questions.

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  • [–] 20 points 3 years ago (2 children)

    google "How to do X?"

    AI pages are always like this

    • X is very useful
    • ads
    • X is used for a,b,c application
    • ads
    • Generic advice about how X can be done which everyone knows
    • ads
    • One line in the entire page which nudges you towards how to actually do X
    • ads
    • You should really try X
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  • [–] 5 points 3 years ago

    10/10 best impression XD

    There are a little bit of variation for other stuff, but they have their templates. Say if you look for some specific thing "the earliest super nova documented" then chances are it will guide you to wikipedia or some valid sources.

    But if your search term contains anything that was trending on google, say if you search some hot game's tip, etc. There will be pages and pages of AI generated contents, from some domain you don't really recognize. (so better put ign or gamefaq or Fextralife/fandom wiki as search term now. )

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  • [–] 12 points 3 years ago (2 children)

    I hadn't even considered the quantity of ads on those sites... Any time I accidentally find one, it's a long column of text that starts off with a bunch of filler roughly related to whatever I was searching for, maybe a couple of lines with an answer (right or wrong is a different matter), then breaks down into a bunch of self-contradicting nonsense. I just don't see the ads because of uBlock Origin, so I never see how bad they are. AI generated sites are completely aggravating.

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  • [–] 4 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    I also don't see the ad with ad block, but when you see the not working weird space or failed embeded blocks, sometimes a same site reference link etc to other not related topics(highly likely to have finger printing) it's like "okay, fuck, they got me again."

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